GUANTANAMO is robbing Obama of sleep. Ten years after the opening
of the prison, on illegally occupied territory in Cuba, the issue had been
forgotten by many until a hunger strike by hundreds of prisoners returned it to
the public consciousness.
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| The illegal U.S. Navy Base in
Guantánamo (Photo: Reuters) |
Referring to Guantánamo, The New York Times wrote in an
editorial that the detention center "became the embodiment of his [Bush’s]
dangerous expansion of executive power and the lawless detentions, secret
prisons and torture that went along with them."
Obama, hoping to indicate that he had not forgotten his campaign
promise, recently said, "I continue to believe that we've got to close
Guantanamo. I think it is critical for us to understand that Guantanamo is not
necessary to keep America safe. It is expensive. It is inefficient. It hurts us
in terms of our international standing…
"The idea that we would still maintain, forever, a group of
individuals who have not been tried - that is contrary to who we are."
Not everyone agrees with the President. Washington Post
journalist Benjamin declared, "Even if Guantanamo itself miraculously closes,
we’ll have to build it again somewhere else."
"Guantanamo Bay prison does not serve American security
interests," according to Ken Gude, from the Center for American Progress (CAP),
a Washington think tank.
But his reasoning, like Obama’s, is pragmatic, not humanitarian.
Even BBC Mundo stated that there was no need to keep the prisoners in
Guantánamo, commenting that the site would inevitably be closed at some
point.
The reality is that no steps have been taken in the direction
suggested by Obama. In fact University of California professor Raúl Hinojosa
commented to Russia Today that the hunger strike has made clear that the
U.S. is not in control of the situation, given that the administration "has no
answer at this time."
According to General John Kelly, of the U.S. Army Southern Command
and the commanding officer at the prison, the detainees had hope that Obama
would close the facility and "were devastated... when the president backed off."
The prison was opened after the September 11, 2011 attacks, to
house those suspected of terrorism, although no evidence existed against them.
The indefinite detentions, and testimony given by those released, have earned
the detention center an appropriate reputation as a concentration camp.
Different forms of torture are practiced there, including isolation within cells
at extreme temperatures and waterboarding.
Guantánamo is one of the worst legacies of George W. Bush, who
showing no sign of remorse, recently stated that he felt fine about the "hard
decisions" he had made "to protect America."
The legal limbo in which 166 prisoners live – there had been more
than 700 – has generated criticism internationally, from countries as well as
human rights organizations.
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California), president of the Senate
Intelligence Committee, has requested that the administration re-start the
process of transferring and releasing 86 prisoners who, three years ago, were
granted permission to return to their countries of origin.
Although Obama may not have the political will to close the
prison, he could at least exert pressure to reinitiate this process halted two
years ago.
May 23, 2013
